Back in Yuma, the posse runs into an old friend - none other than the gunfighter James Crowell. He explains that after living with the natives for a while he became convinced that there was more he had to do. He's trying not to kill, now, but he still carries his guns. Hearing about them in El Paso he set off on their trail to help them deal with Grimme. They spend a few long days on the trail briefing him about what has occurred and what the plan is. Or rather, what the pieces of the plan are.

More dusty days of travel bring them to the location where Robert had seen Nicodemus's caravan attacked, and sure enough there are plenty of bodies, of men and mules, scattered about. Or not so scattered - the bodies were clearly left in a deliberate pattern. Cady doesn't think it's an active ritual though. A pathetic lean-to against a rock marks Nicodemus's hiding place, and Elder Tanner is dispatched to talk to him as the least likely to be instantly corrupted.

Before he gets there, an angel springs up from behind a nearby boulder and flies off - or tries to fly off, Tobey's ghost rock gun brings it low with its heart shot out. Elder Tanner finds Nicodemus pretty low as well, barely able to take a little water. He returns to the others and they investigate the angel corpse while they decide what to do. They find a bag of 19 silver coins where the angel flew up from, but the corpse has nothing. Tobey dispels the illusion on it and it is revealed to be no angel, but a twisted demon.

Deciding they must, Tobey and Elder Tanner work together to heal Nicodemus - Tobey handling the horrible infection and Joseph healing the actual wounds. God apparently approves, because Nicodemus's legs are knit back together as though nothing had happened, and he becomes fully conscious. He appears to feel repentant for his bad deeds, which annoys Robert no end.

"Your weak Christian philosophy disgusts me!" - Robert

"Are you evil?"
"Well, yes, I mean everyone is, original sin you know, and also I haven't atoned for the terrible things I've done..." - Nicodemus's answer to Joseph

James and Jacob (Nicodemus) bury the bodies, which keeps him out of trouble for a while. They take him along as they go further towards Lost Angels, and brief him on what's going on. He thinks that he was attacked and his coins left behind for two reasons: the coins were left as payment for the betrayal Grimme is trying to set up. Nicodemus was left as frustration - killing him as a cripple wouldn't be satisfying and would only get them more riled up. Robert thinks this part succeeded.

Jacob seems to know a whole lot about the occult and the bible. He isn't sure about how to disrupt Grimme's ritual yet, but he knows that the forgiveness has to be genuine, and the gun has to be loaded. James remakes Holiday's silver bullet for that purpose. Nicodemus's personal story, if it is to be believed, is that he used to be a harmless occultist and scholar, who started to develop powers after the Reckoning. At first he used them for good, then he used them to get more power for good, then he realized he needed to be immortal to get enough power. He makes no attempt to recover the coins, though whether this is from true regret or because Robert will surely kill him is unclear.

As they approach the city itself, the land becomes drier and all water is salty - not that there is much water. The trees and cacti are shriveled and blackened, and even so show the marks of animal teeth - not that there are any animals visible. The sun burns down on the posse, but they shiver with cold anyway.

They come to an abandoned farmhouse with some gaunt men standing outside, men who shimmer like mirages as they regard the posse blankly. Suddenly one winks out and appears next to Tanner, who is so seized with hunger that he bites his horse, which throws him. Tanner then shoots another horse dead and starts butchering it. Meanwhile, everyone else tries to get rid of the spirits, but they're impervious to most everything, and before Cady can cast her weakness detecting spell she also is seized with hunger, though not as badly. The others are protected from the compulsion by miracles for the moment.

Luckily Tobey figures out something that can damage the creatures - food! And there follows a lot of food throwing and wild swings with pieces of the dead horse or slabs of jerky. Once the secret is out, it isn't hard to put the spirits down. Nicodemus is pretty ineffectual during the fight, but doesn't try anything sneaky. However Mean Jake, their guide from Tombstone, runs away and is not seen again.

MS: Nicodemus theorizes that the silver coins were left behind as "payment" to fit the Christ mythology. He theorizes that he was left behind in order to peeve us because we wouldn't get to take him down. (Hmm, maybe Grimme understands Robert's psychology?).